Articles about Wayne Williams

Windows 10 is set to reach its end of life in just a couple of short months, which means Microsoft will stop providing free security updates and official support for the beloved operating system. Although extended security updates will be available for a fee, most users will soon be faced with a stark choice: upgrade to Windows 11, switch to Linux, or wait for the long-rumored Windows 12.

The retirement of Windows 10 unquestionably marks a major shift in the PC landscape. Microsoft is pushing its customer base towards a newer, AI-enhanced Windows experience -- whether they are fully ready for it or not.

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With support for Windows 10 winding down, many users are weighing up their next move. Traditionally, upgrading to the newest version of Windows was a no-brainer, but Windows 11 has complicated that decision. Its strict hardware requirements, growing insistence on a Microsoft account, system bloat, unpredictable updates, and an expanding focus on AI have left many users looking for alternatives, or at least wondering what else is possible.

Enter Windows Classic Remastered (Windows CR for short), a retro-inspired OS that shows us a version of Windows from an alternate reality; one where simplicity, consistency, and user control rule, rather than complexity and bloat.

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Windows 10 is set to reach its end of life later this year, meaning Microsoft will stop providing free security updates and support for the popular operating system. While extended security updates will be available for a fee, most users will need to choose between upgrading to Windows 11 or waiting for the long-rumored Windows 12.

Despite its continuous widespread use, Windows 10’s retirement marks a significant shift, pushing users toward a newer, AI-enhanced Windows experience -- whether they’re ready for it or not.

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With Windows 10’s end of life looming, users are beginning to consider their next steps. In the past, upgrading to the latest Windows release might have been the obvious path, but Windows 11 -- with its tighter hardware requirements, bloat, problematic updates, insistence on a Microsoft account, and an increasing focus on unwanted AI features -- may no longer be the first choice for many.

Thankfully, Windows 11 isn’t the only game in town. Several Linux operating systems have been developed to appeal to Windows users looking to jump ship. AnduinOS is one such distribution, combining the familiarity of Windows 11 with the power of Ubuntu, and it's just been updated to version 1.3.0.

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The lukewarm reception to Windows 11 is clear from the wave of third-party tools built to fix it. One of the most recent is Crapfixer Rebirth Version, a utility that’s been around for about seven years (although it looks older), which has now been given a full refresh.

Winhance is another tool you’ll definitely be interested in. It can debloat and optimize Windows -- and keep it that way. Although it’s been designed for Windows 11 it works just fine on Windows 10. Winhance was originally a PowerShell GUI application, but version 4 is a standalone app that can be installed or uninstalled easily, and it also comes in a portable version, so there's no reason not to get started with it today.

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Microsoft continues to work hard at improving Windows 11, fixing problems and cramming in loads of new AI features. Despite that (or perhaps because of it), its newest operating system still lags behind Windows 10 in terms of market share, even though end of life is fast approaching for that beloved but aging OS.

Microsoft hasn't officially announced Windows 12 yet, and it likely won't until after Windows 10 is no more. But if you want inspiration for what the next generation of Windows could look like, feast your eyes on the stunning AR OS 2.

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Windows 11, despite its modern design and advanced features, has been criticized for its bloated nature. The operating system demands substantial hardware resources, leaving many users with sluggish performance -- even on newer machines -- and Microsoft is jamming AI features into almost every corner of the OS, including the likes of Notepad and Paint, which doesn't help.

Perhaps it’s time to get back to basics, trim the fat, and give users the lightweight operating system they crave without sacrificing any modern functionality? Perhaps it's time for Windows 12 Lite.

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Team Kodi is hard at work on the next generation of its hugely popular home theater software. Although it will be a while before we see the first build from the Kodi 22 branch, we do have a good idea of some of the new features and improvements set to make an appearance.

One of the features that will be arriving in the future software release will be a forum-requested feature, which will allow users of the PVR & Live TV feature to have Kodi automatically delete recordings once they’ve been watched, freeing up valuable hard drive space.

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Minesweeper is a classic puzzle game that has been included in Windows operating systems for decades. The objective is to clear a grid of hidden mines using numerical clues to determine how many mines are adjacent to each square, requiring strategy and logical thinking to avoid detonating them.

But what if losing a game of Minesweeper actually destroyed your PC? That’s exactly what a new video shows.

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As you likely know, Microsoft is preparing to end support for Windows 10 next year, and while you can continue to use that OS, provided you do so safely, the main options will be to upgrade to Windows 11 or wait for the anticipated release of its successor, likely to be Windows 12.

While Microsoft hasn't officially confirmed the next-generation operating system, there have been numerous hints and rumors about what it might be like.

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Microsoft is busy introducing AI functionality across Windows 11. That's great, but a lot of users would prefer to see an operating system that’s more user-friendly and lets you customize it as you see fit.

The tech giant has a history of not necessarily following expected naming conventions -- whatever happened to Windows 9? -- so this look at an OS that’s Windows 13, not Windows 12, perhaps shouldn’t seem too outlandish.

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At its WWDC yesterday, Apple unveiled its first major foray into modern artificial intelligence, or "Apple Intelligence" as it prefers to call it.

The company may have been slow to adopt the technology, but it’s now going all-in. Apple Intelligence will be baked into the upcoming iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, offering new writing tools for rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text across apps, Genmoji for personalized emojis, and a significantly improved Siri.

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Microsoft plans to phase out support for Windows 10 soon (unless you pay, of course), leaving users with the option to either upgrade to Windows 11 or wait for the anticipated successor, likely to be Windows 12.

Although Microsoft hasn't officially announced that next-gen operating system yet, it has dropped plenty of hints, and there’s a good chance it will come jam-packed with AI functionality, as that is clearly where the operating system -- and the company -- is headed.

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Microsoft is preparing to discontinue support for Windows 10 in the near future, giving users the option to either upgrade to Windows 11 or wait for the anticipated successor, Windows 12.

We’re not expecting to see the arrival of the next-gen operating system this year -- Microsoft is focused on adding more AI functionality to Windows 11 at the moment -- but we do have an idea of what Windows 12 could look like.

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Gamers who want to get the most from their rigs will usually have to tweak Windows to disable unwanted resource hogs and boost performance. Although Microsoft does like to promote Windows 11 as the perfect OS for gaming, it isn’t dedicated to that noble pursuit.

Although Windows 12 has yet to be officially announced, a version of that OS just for gaming would be welcomed by the huge number of PC gamers out there, myself included.

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